Man of Steel Trivia
Trivia about Man of Steel. *In the words of Warner Bros. President Alan F. Horn, "I thought Superman Returns was a very successful movie, but I think it should have done $500 million worldwide. We should have had perhaps a little more action to satisfy the young male crowd." $175 million is the maximum budget the studio is aiming for The Man of Steel. *Comic book writer Mark Millar planned a trilogy of films, running to eight hours, which would chronicle the life story of Superman. He had pitched a sequel idea whilst Bryan Singer was still attached, but due to his association with Marvel Comics, was turned down. However, once a reboot was announced, Millar pitched his trilogy idea to Warner Bros, where it was subsequently turned down. *The president of Legendary Pictures Thomas Tull said that "Superman needs a powerful antagonist, a worthy opponent." Tull also wants to evoke Superman as an "angry God." *David Goyer, James McTeigue, Jonathan Nolan and Chris Columbus were all linked with Directing the movie. *Darren Aronofsky, Duncan Jones, Ben Affleck, Tony Scott, Matt Reeves and Jonathan Liebesman were considered to direct the movie. Zack Snyder was later chosen. *Actors Brandon Routh, Tom Welling, Joe Manganiello, Patrick Wilson, Erryn Arkin and Sam Worthington have all been rumored to star in the movie. The part of Superman ultimately went to Henry Cavill. Cavill was the front runner to play Superman in another Superman movie but Routh was cast instead. *Matthew Goode, Armie Hammer, Matt Bomer and Robin O'Donoghue were on the final shortlist for the lead role. *Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Dianna Agron, Kristen Stewart, Malin Akerman, Rachel McAdams, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kristen Bell, Lake Bell, and Jessica Biel were considered to play Lois Lane. Anne Hathaway went on to play Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises. *Before Diane Lane was cast, actresses considered for Martha Kent included Julianne Moore, Lisa Rinna, Jodie Foster, Bridget Fonda and Elisabeth Shue. *Amanda Seyfried auditioned for a role but was turned down. *Viggo Mortensen and Daniel Day-Lewis were considered to play General Zod. *Before Kevin Costner was cast as Jonathan Kent, Dennis Quaid, Bruce Greenwood, Michael Biehn and Kurt Russell were considered. *Prior to being cast as Lois, Amy Adams had two previous Superman connections. Adams played Jodi Melville in "Smallville" (2001); and her co-star from Enchanted (2007), James Marsden played Richard White in Superman Returns (2006). *Both director Bryan Singer and actor Brandon Routh expressed interest in reprising their positions from Superman Returns (2006) on this film; Singer had originally outlined several sequels to follow his story, and Routh was contracted as well. When Warner Bros. announced this film as a "clean reboot" from Singer's film, Routh still expressed interest in returning before Zack Snyder declared that this movie would have no ties to any previous cinematic incarnation of the character. *Due to his success with the Batman franchise Christopher Nolan was brought on to help develop the reboot of Superman along with screenwriter David S. Goyer. This was merely as a creative consultant, it was never intended for Nolan to direct. When Zack Snyder was later brought on as director, Nolan chose to hand all creative control over to Snyder and focus on The Dark Knight Rises (2012). According to Nolan's wife/producer Emma Thomas, "They Nolan and Goyer brought it to an appropriate screenplay and it's now Snyder's picture." *Sean Penn was offered a major role in the film but turned it down. *Kevin Costner's role was previously played by Glenn Ford. Both of them have been involved in competing projects about Wyatt Earp. Glenn was cast in Tombstone (1993), but had to drop out. Costner played the title role in Wyatt Earp (1994), which also cast him opposite Gene Hackman (the original Lex Luthor) as his father. *To prepare himself for the role of playing the Man of Steel, Henry Cavill went through a rigorous workout regime to achieve his Superman physique. The English actor gained approximately 20 pounds of muscle during his time of preparation, and inbetween breaks onset, keep up with his much muscular frame by performing push ups and pull ups to pass the time. He wanted to look like the character seen in the iconic comics. Other ways that Cavill has altered his appearance was that he changed his natural brown hair color to a rich, jet black. *Filming in Plano, IL and Chicago, IL in August and September of 2011 was done under the code name of "Autumn Frost." It was such a badly-kept secret that on September 6, 2011, the Chicago Tribune published a full article about it. ("Code Name: Go Figure"). *Alessandro Juliani, who plays Sergeant Sedowsky, is no stranger to the world of Superman. Juliani also played Dr. Emil Hamilton on the Superman TV series "Smallville." *The character of Whitney Fordman was not in the original DC comics. He was created for "Smallville", a TV series based on Clark Kent's time at high school. *Henry Cavill is the first non-American actor to play the role of Clark Kent. London-born Lee Quigley played Superman as a baby in "Superman." *Russell Crowe becomes the second Oscar winner to portray Jor-El after Marlon Brando. *The film is set to release in June of 2013, the 75th anniversary of Superman. *The monologue used by Jor-El (Russell Crowe) in the teaser trailer is taken directly from Grant Morrison's "All-Star Superman", widely considered one of the best Superman stories ever written. *One of two live-action theatrical Superman films to not feature Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor. The other film was "Superman III." *The first Superman feature film that doesn't incorporate the word "Superman" in its title. Interestingly enough the first Batman film to not incorporate the word "Batman" was "The Dark Knight" which like, Man of Steel, is the main character's nickname. Both films featured the involvement of Christopher Nolan. *This is the first live action Superman movie not to feature the character Jimmy Olsen. Not only was the Jimmy Olsen character in every live action Superman movie prior to "Man of Steel" but he was also in "Supergirl." *Both posters for the film bear a striking resemblance and may be homages to images of Superman from Mark Waid's critically acclaimed 1996 graphic novel "Kingdom Come" which examined Superman's growing detachment from humanity and his place in the modern world. *Alessandro Juliani, who plays Sergeant Sedowsky, is no stranger to the world of Superman. Juliani also played Dr. Emil Hamilton on the Superman TV series "Smallville". *The character of Whitney Fordman was not in the original DC comics. He was created for "Smallville", a TV series based on Clark Kent's time at high school. *Henry Cavill is the first non-American actor to play the role of Clark Kent. London-born Lee Quigley played Superman as a baby in "Superman". *Russell Crowe becomes the second Oscar winner to portray Jor-El after Marlon Brando. Crowe once had a song with his band "Rus Le Roq" entitled "I want to be like Marlon Brando". *Russell Crowe (Jor-El) and Kevin Costner (Jonathan Kent), who play both of Superman's fathers, have shared the role of Robin Hood: Costner in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" and Crowe in "Robin Hood". Both have also played law officers bringing down mobsters: Costner as Elliot Ness in "The Untouchables" and Crowe as in "American Gangster". *The film is set to release in June of 2013, the 75th anniversary of Superman. The first appearance of the character was in "Action Comics #1" in 1938. *The monologue used by Jor-El (Russell Crowe) in the teaser trailer is taken directly from Grant Morrison's "All-Star Superman", widely considered one of the best Superman stories ever written. *One of three live-action theatrical Superman films to not feature Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor. The other films were _Superman III (1983) and Superman and the Molemen (1951) *This is the first Superman feature film that doesn't incorporate the word "Superman" in its title. Interestingly enough, the first Batman film to not incorporate the word "Batman" was Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" which like, Man of Steel, is the main character's nickname. *This is the first live action Superman movie not to feature the character Jimmy Olsen. Not only was the Jimmy Olsen character in every live action Superman movie prior to "Man of Steel" but he was also in "Supergirl". *Both posters for the film bear a striking resemblance and may be homages to images of Superman from Mark Waid's critically acclaimed 1996 graphic novel "Kingdom Come" which examined Superman's growing detachment from humanity and his place in the modern world. *Diretor Zack Snyder enlisted the services of Gym Jones to get lead star Henry Cavill in shape for this role. Snyder had first worked with Gym Jones on 300 and then subsequently collaborated with them for all his live action films, to get his cast into the right physical shape. *When asked about the numerous set photos released online of him filming shirtless on set, Henry Cavill said that he was happy because people could then see that his physique in the film is indeed real (not "smoke and mirrors") and that the fans could see the effort he had put in to bring the character to life. *According to Zack Snyder, he tried very hard to keep Superman's red trunks as part of his costume, but failed. *For his physical preparation on Man Of Steel, Henry Cavill had to start from scratch because for his previous film, "The Cold Light of Day", director Mabrouk El Mechri made him lose the "eight pack" and the muscular physique that he had built for "Immortals". He was asked to let go completely and stop all training to get the body of an ordinary man. For Man Of Steel, after months of training, Cavill got his physique and "eight pack" back but said that he would never let go again, whatever they offered him. *Henry Cavill said that after training for Superman, his body transformed so drastically that he had to throw all his older clothes out. He said his shoulders became much bigger and his waist much smaller. *Henry Cavill said that he was on a diet of 5000 calories while bulking (putting on mass), dropped down to 3500 calories to get into suit-shape and then further dropped down to 2500 calories for his shirtless scenes. *When asked about what look does he prefer for Superman, director Zack Snyder had said that he preferred the bigger, more muscular Superman as drawn by Jim Lee. Star Henry Cavill worked very hard to build a big, muscular physique, exactly the look envisioned by his director. *The first Superman film not to feature Kryptonite, Superman's main weakness. *Amy Adams, who plays Lois Lane, had previously appeared in a Season one episode of Smallville, which also detailed the Superman story. *According to David S. Goyer, Superman's costume is defined in this film to be an undergarment: "All the battle armor goes on top of the suits. But since Superman's a refugee, his outfit doesn't have that gear, and would make him defenseless on his own Kryptonian turf." *The idea that Superman's S-Shield means "hope" comes from Mark Waid's Superman: Birthright series: The S-Shield is the Kryptonian symbol for "hope" and Superman believes it may have begun as a coat of arms for the House of El. *The majority of the action scenes use a CGI cape for Superman. *Diane Lane previously appeared in "Hollywoodland", whose subject was previous Superman actor George Reeves. *Henry Cavill and Russell Crowe had met years prior to playing father and son when Henry was an extra in "Proof of Life" and received words of encouragement to pursue acting and an autographed picture from Crowe, who was his favorite actor. *This is Amy Adams's third time auditioning for Lois Lane. She first read for Lois Lane in Brett Ratner's abandoned film, then for "Superman Returns". Adams has stated that it became ridiculous and this time she had to play Lois and put her stamp on it. *Jonathan Kent's monologue from the teaser trailer is taken directly from Geoff John's "Superman: Secret Origin". *According to Zack Snyder, the filmmakers outfitted Henry Cavill in the "Superman" costume to see how well he fit the role. *Despite the outfit bearing a lighter blue color and red trunks, no one laughed at Cavill. Snyder knew then that Cavill was right for the role. *According to David S. Goyer, the story's major theme is first contact: "We approached Superman as if it weren't a comic book movie, as if it were real. He's an alien. If the world found out he existed, it would be the biggest thing that ever happened in human history. Just his existence would change the face of the Earth forever." *This is the second film where Diane Lane is mother to a "special" child. The first was "Jack", starring Robin Williams, the best friend of Superman actor Christopher Reeve. *A building in Metropolis bears the sign "Lexcorp". This is the company run by Superman's archrival Lex Luthor, and hints at his appearance in a sequel. *One of Zod's soldiers is named Nam-Ek. Nam-Ek was a minor Kryptonian who appeared in the December 1974 Superman comic "The Loneliest Man in the Universe" (Superman Vol 1, Number 282). This is also a reference to the anime "Dragon Ball Z" (whose hero Son Goku is the Superman of Japan), where there was an alien antagonist from the planet Namek. *General Zod wears a black astronaut suit. This is based on the Modern Age comics, where he wore a special red suit that filtered sunlight. *Production designer Alex McDowell described the Kryptonian technology in the film as "geo-tech, scientifically advanced but also less glossy and more organic than the styles on Earth." *The Fortress of Solitude in this film is a Kryptonian spacecraft secreted in the Arctic. This combines various comic versions of the Fortress of Solitude: an Arctic location with a key (the Silver Age comics (1958)), an artifact from previous Kryptonians ("Adventures of Superman" (1989)), and an abandoned ship (the New 52 comics (2011)). *Henry Cavill said that "he was not in training when he auditioned for this film where he was required to wear a lycra Superman suit. He wasn't feeling fit or looking good, and thought that they wouldn't cast a fat Superman and that some really in-shape dude was going to audition and win the part". Cavill eventually won the part and achieved the proper shape to play the role. *A boyhood photo of young Clark and Jonathan standing at a science fair project (a volcano) has small sign behind them that reads "Weisinger Public School" - a nod to longtime "Silver Age" Superman comics editor Mort Weisinger, who introduced many science fiction elements to the Superman canon. *Following his involvement in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Hans Zimmer was chosen to write the film's music score. *To completely distinguish this film from previous ones, the iconic "Superman Theme" by John Williams won't be heard. This will be the first Warner Bros. Superman film to not incorporate Williams' score from "Superman", which was reused for the sequels starring Christopher Reeve, as well as in "Superman Returns" starring Brandon Routh. *Mackenzie Gray, who portrays Jax-Ur, previously played an adult clone of Lex Luthor in the TV show Smallville. *The Superman costume in this film is based on the costume seen in DC's New 52 comics. *WILHELM SCREAM: When Faora throws a soldier out the back of the C-17. *Richard Schiff, playing Professor Emil Hamilton, shares a few scenes with Alessandro Juliani, playing an army officer. Juliani previously played Emil Hamilton in Smallville. *Director Zack Snyder said that he really wanted to include a shirtless scene of star Henry Cavill in the film because throughout the film, you see him in a form-fitting body suit where he appears extremely muscular. He said the audience would think it was all rubber muscles, but it was important to show them it was indeed Henry Cavill's body in that suit and that it was all real. *Diane Kruger, Rosamund Pike, Alice Eve and Lindsay Lohan were considered for the role of Faora. *Along with multiple images indicating the savior-like nature of Superman, he tells Dr. Hamilton that he's been on Earth for 33 years - the widely regarded age of Jesus Christ when he died. *Many scenes were taken from the Superman graphic novel "Superman: Birthright" written by comic book writer Mark Waid. *This is the first live-action Superman film or show to feature the character of Steve Lombard, a Sports journalist at the Daily Planet who often bullies and insults Clark Kent. *Distributed to cinemas under the title 'Skyrim'. *Superman's flight montage includes a flyby over the White Cliffs of Dover and the English Channel. Henry Cavill is from the Channel island of Jersey. *Henry Cavill embarked on a special four-month training regime by his trainer Mark Twight to get the appropriate physique for his roles as Kal-El. He gained weight by drinking 5 1000-calorie protein shakes a day, then he did cardiovascular workouts to burn away the fat and build muscle, and finally he underwent a grueling two-hour workout to build up his muscles and abdomen. According to Cavill, the real problem he faced was the workout's intensity: "Mark based his technique on going beyond yourself. Instead of slowing down towards the end of the workout, he asked me to actually work harder and harder for the body to reach its limits. His point was that if his client is able to walk out of the gym, he had not worked hard enough..." *When Superman and General Zod are fighting in the construction area you can see the sign that says "Days since last accident" go from 143 days to 0 when Superman is hit up against it. *After Clark rips the door open on the oil rig, the oil/soot forms a distinct "S" symbol above his abdomen. *According to costume designer Michael Wilkinson, the Kryptonian outfits are based on the wardrobes of the Versailles aristocracy, prior to the French Revolution. The designers etched into velvets and embroidered and screen-printed on fabrics to create over-elaborate indulgent costumes. *The filmmakers hired Professor Christine Schreyer, an expert in anthropology and linguistics at British Columbia, to create the Kryptonian language. She developed a subject-object-verb sentence structure, contrasting the subject-verb-object structure of English (e.g. "I see him" in English would be "Him I see" in Kryptonian), to reflect that people on Krypton had become selfish and materialistic. *The robots in the House of El are named Kelex and Kelor. These were the names of robots that aided Superman at his Fortress of Solitude. *Zod's ship is named the Black Zero, after a Kryptonian antagonist of Superman. *Henry Cavill said that the most difficult part of making the movie was definitely his two shirtless scenes. He had been training for months prior to filming began but for his shirtless scenes, he specially went on extremely difficult calorie restriction diet and training regime that cut his calorie intake from 5000 to near 1500 for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks he reached a body fat level of just 3% which is the level achieved by professional body-builders during competitions. Henry said this was done because he wanted to make his abs as pronounced and his muscles as defined as humanly possible to create the best possible Superman physique. Cavill returned to a more manageable routine after the scenes were shot but felt his effort was rewarded when audiences and critics alike praised his physique for the true embodiment of what Superman would look like. After he had shot his shirtless scenes, director Zack Snyder gave him a tub of ice cream and pizza to reward him for his Herculean effort for the shirtless scenes. *In the final battle when General Zod and Superman fly into outer-space they both hit a satellite with the "Wayne Enterprise" logo. The oil tanker Zod slams Superman into (owned by "Lex Corp"), was similar Zod throwing him into a truck trailer and heating a rig's fuel in "Superman II." *When Clark is first learning to fly, he is only able to make a few gigantic bounds. This is a reference to the 1930's Superman, who was not able to fly, but could only leap one eighth of a mile. *Before the film's release DC Comics published a prequel comic book about the crew of the derelict Krypton scout ship that Clark finds frozen in Canada. In the comic book, the ship was piloted by Kara Zor-El who, in the comic books, is better known as Supergirl. *Tahmoh Penikett and Alessandro Juliani appear as part of a team exploring a spaceship that landed on Earth several thousand years in the past. Both actors previously starred in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series, which ended with the titular ship arriving on Earth several thousand years in the past. *Clark is only referred to as "Superman" once in the entire film. In the comics, government agents (known classically as "G Men") would refer to him in code over transmissions as, "The 'S' Man." *The twin-engine aircraft in the Smallville ground attack scene are Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthogs," and the single-engine aircraft in the Metropolis air battle are Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs. The A-10 was produced from 1972-1984, and the F-35 is still in development and will not be combat-ready until December 2015. *Zack Snyder proposed that Superman kill General Zod, in order to set up Superman's classic "never kills" motto. He wanted it to be brutal and jarring, so that it would forever keep in Superman's mind. Category:Man of Steel Category:Trivia